Gabon’s military ruler declares bid for presidency
Gabon’s transitional leader General Brice Oligui Nguema has announced his intention to run as a candidate in the Central African nation’s presidential election, scheduled for next month.
The military ruler led a group of Gabonese soldiers to overthrow his cousin, former President Ali Bongo, shortly after he had been declared the winner of a disputed presidential election in August 2023. The ousted leader, accused of corruption and irresponsible governance, had been in power for 14 years after succeeding his father, Omar Bongo Ondimba, who ruled for more than four decades before his death in 2009.
Gen. Nguema, who was then the republican guard chief, has been the interim president ever since. He had previously promised to oversee “free, fair, and credible” elections in order to transfer power to civilians.
However, addressing a rally in the mineral-rich country’s capital, Libreville, on Monday, he said his decision to run for president on April 12 came “after careful consideration and in response to your numerous appeals.”
“I am a builder, and I need your courage, your strength, to build this country,” Nguema told his supporters, who defied the heavy rains to attend the gathering, which also marked his 50th birthday. “If we have been able to do everything in 18 months, imagine what we can do in 7 years,” he added.
In January, the Gabonese parliament approved a new electoral code, laying the groundwork for the April votes. The legislation permits all Gabonese nationals under the age of 70 to stand for elections.
Last November, voters in the former French colony overwhelmingly endorsed a new constitution, which introduced a seven-year presidential term that can only be renewed once. It abolished the position of prime minister and bans family members from succeeding a president, in a country that has been ruled by the Bongos for over 50 years. The previous constitution allows for unlimited five-year terms.
Reports suggest Nguema had resigned from the army in order to pursue his presidential bid. However, the military government claimed on Monday that the transitional leader will be required to abandon his military uniform temporarily while running for election.
“If elected, he will have to make a permanent provision. If he is not elected, he will return to the barracks, just like any serving military,” the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions (CTRI) said in a statement published on Facebook.
